So... what's the best "holy warrior class" out there?

[TechnOkami]

So, for a game that I'm going to partake in, I'm considering being some sort of holy warrior, but I don't know what's the best. I've heard the paladin can be sort of meh, and I think good things about the Favored Soul, but I really have no idea what I'm jumping into.

So, please, tell me, what's out there that's worth it?

P.S. It's for D&D 3.5 if anyone wants that kind of clarification.

[dsmiles]

Crusader, FTW!

[Eldariel]

Cleric. Without prestige classes, Cleric is a stellar warrior empowered by his/her deity's magic into a veritable war machine. With prestige classes, Cleric can actually be quite a competent warrior without a single spell but becomes ever more powerful once he does use his formidable magic to pump himself.

In Core, Cleric as a warrior is slightly superior to a buffed-by-Cleric Fighter or a buffed Barbarian (in other words, he's both, the buffer and the warrior, and yes, that's without accounting for the fact that he has magic too). Outside Core, Cleric is quite incomparable as a warrior.


Crusader is a great second alternative for less powerful games. For true fun, combine the two with the immaculate Ruby Knight Windicator [Tome of Battle] for The True Holy Warrior™.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

You can also go Monk 2/Cloistered Cleric 5/Sacred Fist 10/Cloistered Cleric 3 for a Monastic Holy Warrior.

[TechnOkami]

Crusader is a great second alternative for less powerful games. For true fun, combine the two with the immaculate Ruby Knight Windicator [Tome of Battle] for The True Holy Warrior™.

That sounds interesting...

[Kalaska'Agathas]

They can be excellent at Lockdown+Crackdown with a Spiked Chain (or other reach weapon, spiked chain is nice because it threatens adjacent, but y'all knew that ) and Thicket of Blades, and Combat Reflexes. Throw in Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, and Knock-down if you've got the feats, and you're, to quote St. Jimmy, "a Bad Motha".

[SurlySeraph]

That sounds interesting...

Maneuver progression, spell progression, and nice special abilities. One of its abilities lets it burn Turn Undead uses to get extra swift actions, which allows for some fairly breathtaking shenanigans.

[Psyren]

Favored Soul is great too. Deity's favored weapon, all good saves and the cleric spell list to buff up and smash with.

But yes, Crusader/RKV is definitely a powerful holy roller type.

Law Incarnate/Sapphire Hierarch is another holy hand grenade.

[Eldariel]

That sounds interesting...

(Cloistered if you want skill points) Cleric 4/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator 10. Life will be good. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Literally any martial archetype can be done with that, and you're a competent in basically every aspect of combat naturally.

[Greenish]

You can take the feat Holy Warrior and levels in Ordained Champion for the class feature Holy Warrior, and I think there was a third one somewhere…

[Amphetryon]

Favored Soul 4/Knight of the Raven 3/Crusader 2/RKV 10/Crusader +1?

I suppose you could sprinkle Warblade instead of that second Crusader level to get IHS. Practiced Spellcaster required.

[AslanCross]

I second Eldariel's recommendations. The cleric is mighty on its own; the crusader is a great tanking holy warrior without spellcasting, and the two can be combined in the stealthy, slicing and dicing Ruby Knight Vindicator.

[TechnOkami]

Ok, thank you all for the suggestions. The Crusader/Cleric/Red Knight Vindicator looks the best to me so far, but then again, it won't really work for my character concept.

Basically I'm making a CE Demon (probably gonna take the Balor and make it a 20 level class, yeah I know it would probably suck but it's too funny not to do) who is so chaotically evil that all he wants to do is kill other demons, for the hells of it. What my original idea was that he would somehow get levels of paladin (reasoned by himself that since he wants to kill any demon other than himself, he should take the powers of the paladin and make them his own), yet be evil, justified by the fact that he kills all and any demon or devil he comes across (except himself), thus making him seem good in the eyes of the good people when he's just fulfilling his own sadistic desire to slay every demon in sight.

...so. Would anything work for this concept?

[Urpriest]

Crusader isn't actually bad for that...they really just have to believe in something strongly. Doesn't matter what.

[Greenish]

Favored Soul 4/Knight of the Raven 3/Crusader 2/RKV 10/Crusader +1?

Isn't FS a level behind in casting to begin with? Losing 4 levels of casting is rough.

[Endarire]

You could be any class and call yourself a holy warrior. A modern concept is A Cleric9/Crusader1/Ruby Knight Vindicator10 which can emphasize the casting and warrior aspects.

From what I can tell, you don't need a class simply to kill demons, though being an optimized Wizard helps. More specifically, what do you most want to do?

[TechnOkami]

From what I can tell, you don't need a class simply to kill demons, though being an optimized Wizard helps. More specifically, what do you most want to do?

Be and feel like a badass while playing this character, with a concept that should not technically work, but does.

Assuming this is actually what you want to hear, I was thinking of basically a fighter type class with holy attributes so I could justify the character's existence.

[Amphetryon]

Isn't FS a level behind in casting to begin with? Losing 4 levels of casting is rough.

Yep, you'd lose 9ths without shenanigans. That last part is kind of the key phrase.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Well, Cloistered Cleric (I really like skillpoints) 9/Crusader 1/RKV 10 should do you then. It's a holy warrior type, who casts spells.

[Sindri]

A Balor could only be a cleric of a CE, CN, or NE deity, and they probably wouldn't support the extermination of all their other minions. Crusader works tho...

[DaragosKitsune]

Well, it may be a tad cheesy, but one can be a cleric of a cause.

[Coidzor]

Basically I'm making a CE Demon (probably gonna take the Balor and make it a 20 level class, yeah I know it would probably suck but it's too funny not to do) who is so chaotically evil that all he wants to do is kill other demons, for the hells of it.

Fairly typical demon motivation, actually, so no strangeness there.

What my original idea was that he would somehow get levels of paladin (reasoned by himself that since he wants to kill any demon other than himself, he should take the powers of the paladin and make them his own), yet be evil, justified by the fact that he kills all and any demon or devil he comes across (except himself), thus making him seem good in the eyes of the good people when he's just fulfilling his own sadistic desire to slay every demon in sight.

...so. Would anything work for this concept?

Whoa. Can't believe I missed this post somehow.

Well, there's the Paladin of Slaughter variant class that is CE. I can't really remember what all it does in particular though. Smite Evil is the only feature of the paladin (well that and the spells) that really makes the thing more adept at killing demons. ...At least I think the Smite Evil makes the attack count as good aligned.

So, you want some way to get your attacks good aligned without hurting yourself, possibly by becoming immune to negative levels from +X Holy weapons or just capable of UMDing to the point where the thing is fooled into thinking you're good.

You should consider looking at the bloodlines rules as well for food for thought.

[Endarire]

"Holy" and "unholy" are a matter of taste. a Wizard could be more faithful than a Cleric.

Determine what you most want to do, mechanically, then call that holy or unholy.

[AslanCross]

Ok, thank you all for the suggestions. The Crusader/Cleric/Red Knight Vindicator looks the best to me so far, but then again, it won't really work for my character concept.

Basically I'm making a CE Demon (probably gonna take the Balor and make it a 20 level class, yeah I know it would probably suck but it's too funny not to do) who is so chaotically evil that all he wants to do is kill other demons, for the hells of it. What my original idea was that he would somehow get levels of paladin (reasoned by himself that since he wants to kill any demon other than himself, he should take the powers of the paladin and make them his own), yet be evil, justified by the fact that he kills all and any demon or devil he comes across (except himself), thus making him seem good in the eyes of the good people when he's just fulfilling his own sadistic desire to slay every demon in sight.

...so. Would anything work for this concept?

Crusaders are not required to be LG. They can be CE if they wish.

[TechnOkami]

Crusaders are not required to be LG. They can be CE if they wish.

But don't you need to be any lawful to be a cleric of Wee Jas?

[Psyren]

But don't you need to be any lawful to be a cleric of Wee Jas?

The adaptation (ToB pg. 125) lets you be a Ruby Knight of any deity. (examples listed are St. Cuthbert, Hextor and Vecna.)

[TechnOkami]

The adaptation (ToB pg. 125) lets you be a Ruby Knight of any deity. (examples listed are St. Cuthbert, Hextor and Vecna.)

...that changes things >:D

[Pechvarry]

You can take the feat Holy Warrior and levels in Ordained Champion for the class feature Holy Warrior, and I think there was a third one somewhere…

I posted about this somewhere... ahh, here:

This is the best thing since my Paladin (Holy Warrior ACF)/Ordained Champion (Holy Warrior class feature) with the Holy Warrior feat -- all 3 instances printed in the same book.

[Lev]

Druid or Cleric, both T1

[Leon]

Cleric
or
Cleric/Bone Knight - For leading your (Un)Holy Legions of Undead into battle